Another Great Adventure in Odyssey!!

I hope this is not the first time you have heard about this great collection of character building stories. Tyndale House Publishers has provided me with a complimentary copy of the newest album for me to review.  Our family has been long time fans.  Episode 51 is no exception. It is packed with great stories.  There is stories about all kinds of things kids face each day.  I find that more than just the kids enjoy these stories. My husband and I enjoy listening with our kids in the car. These adventures lead us to have some great discussions and learning moments. Whit introduces his newest invention The Inspiration Station. Some kinks need to be worked out but I am sure Eugene is up to the challenge.  There is some new characters introduced in the this album.  I think they are going to be great in the mix. The old favorites are there in all there hairless glory. Hehee ( You have to listen to understand that one.) 
Here is just a sample of some of the great stories: 

• dealing with clutter as a family
• bullies and how revenge can hurt more than just the intended target
• responsibility in taking care of pets
• take a step back into time to learn about the Jubliee singers from Fredrick Douglas himself
• good intentions are not always welcomed 
• a wedding , sort of! ( learn a little about another cultures wedding traditions and the value of family.)

If you haven't listened to an Adventure in Odyssey before this would be a great one to start with. 

I like making BAGS!

 

I have a great love for bags. My friend DeDee could attest to this. I love to buy them and make them. My mother also has a passion for them. This weekend our quilt guild had a workshop on making a simple tote that could be altered in many ways. I jumped on the chance to take this class. Not because I needed instruction on the how-to part of making bags but for two reasons.
1) I love to gain new ideas by seeing others completed works.
2) Who turns down the opportunity to sew with friends. Not Me!

Here is the bags that my mom and I made this weekend. You can tell our different tastes by just glancing at these bags.

Here is a close up view of my mom's bag. We have had this Asian cat fabric for a long time. We thought we might use it for a pillowcase but this project seemed more fitting. You can't see it in the picture but her front pocket his three divisions. The font and the back is the same. 

The teacher of this class wanted everyone to use a light fabric for the inside so it would be easier to find things inside. Well being the rebels that we are we choose differently. I have had this blue for for years and could never find a use for it. This was the perfect use. The fabric looks like it was made for this project. (Or atleast I think so.) She again added multiple pockets on the inside. 

So here you can see my bag. I used ACU tops that I purchased off of some of my husbands soldiers. It only cost me one homemade pie apiece. Not a bad deal if I do say so myself. I sewed velcro on the front of one of my pockets so I could add a name tape. The font and back of my bag has two pockets on each side. I did not put as many pockets as mom did. This for me was just a quick fun try a new pattern bag. It is a great basic bag that can be altered and I plan to alter it plenty in the future. 

Friday Night Sew In

Last night I participated in the Friday night sew in for the first time. It was fun to know that gals were sewing around the globe and getting stuff done. They have a group project each month that you can do or you can work on your own stuff. This month I decided I would try to make some progress on some of my many projects I have cluttering my sewing desk.

I have been working on alphabet blocks for my youngest for awhile now. Last night I was able to make some progress. I will be sol glad when I can have these completed. I think Emme will really enjoy them. The ones ?I have already finished she is carrying around with her. If you would like to get the instructions for these great letter blocks you can head over the Moda Bake Shop. They way they made theirs is quite different than mine. I cut out my letters and fussed them onto the charm squares. Then I did a blanket stitch around them to make them wear better.

Last week I posted about all my tumbler blocks that my friend cut out for me. I started putting them together last night. I think this quilt will bring hours of I Spy fun to my girls. I will continue to post pics of this one as I progress on it.
I also worked on putting some antique blocks together as well. I will post pics of that small quilt when I have it completed.
I think this first experience with the Friday Night Sew In was a Success. I am sure I will join in the fun again next month. I hope so of you will join me.

What I have been doing

March was a busy month. We got a lot done this past month. We started finishing up a lot of our UFO (Unfinished Fabric Objects)  projects. My mom and I make a great team. One of us will sew and the other will press and cut. We can get a lot of work done in a little time. I also have had a friend loading quilts for me in my long arm. I have been able to get a lot more quilts done having the extra help. Most of the quilts we have been loading are ones for customers. The quilts mom and I have been finishing are piling up. I will post pictures of them once they have their binding on them.

Here is my March $5 quilt block. Pretty in pink don't you think? 

              Do you remember the I spy Swap I took part in back in February? When I got my blocks back I decided to have a friend use her accu cut and cut out tumbler blocks for me.

Here they are. I really like the fabrics everyone used. I can't wait to put them altogether along with some other  fun kid print tumblers I have. I think this will make a great quilt for the car. 

I have had a lot of fun reading other peoples blogs and finding some great patterns. I recently came across a pattern for a cute little bag that is a girls face. The mouth on the girl is where the zipper is. I made one of these for my brothers exchange student. It came out so cute. 

Doesn't she look cute. I think she looks very innocent here.

Wouldn't it be great whenever we opened our mouth money came out. If you would like to make one of these great little coin purses you can find the tutorial on Lia's Space. She has some real fun tutorials.